Kwon Min-sol (; born 18 February 2009) is a South Korean

figure skater Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic d ...

. She is a four-time

ISU Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international figure skating competition, junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded ...

medalist and the 2022 South Korean junior champion. She placed fifth at the 2023 World Junior Championships.

Personal life

Kwon was born on 18 February 2009, in Seoul, South Korea. In addition to figure skating, Kwon also practices

rhythmic gymnastics Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform individually or in groups on a floor with an apparatus: hoop (rhythmic gymnastics), hoop, ball (rhythmic gymnastics), ball, Clubs (rhythmic gymnastics), clubs, ribbon (rhythmic gymnastics), ...

as a way to improve her flexibility.

Career

Early years

Kwon began figure skating in 2014 at the age of six after being inspired by watching

Yuna Kim Yuna Kim (; born September 5, 1990), also credited in eastern name order as Kim Yuna or Kim Yeon-a, is a South Korean figure skater. Known for her well-rounded skills, achievements, popularity, and impact on the sport, she is one of the most ...

perform at the

2014 Winter Olympics The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXII Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Sochi 2014 (), were an international winter multi-sport event that was held from 7 to 23 February 2014 in Sochi, Russia. Opening ro ...

. From 2015 to 2018, Kwon was a flower girl at several international figure skating competitions in South Korea. She began competing in major domestic competitions during the 2021–22 season and won the national junior gold medal at the 2022 South Korean Championships.

2022–23 season: International junior debut

Making her international debut on the

Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men ...

at the 2022 JGP Czech Republic in

Ostrava Ostrava (; ; ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 283,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rivers: Oder, Opava (river), Opa ...

, Kwon skated a clean short program. In the free skate, her only error was an unclear edge call on the Lutz in her triple jump combination. She won the silver medal behind Japan's

Mao Shimada is a Japanese figure skating, figure skater. She is the Figure skating at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics – Women's singles, 2024 Youth Olympic champion, a three-time World Junior Figure Skating Championships, World Junior champion (2023 World ...

. Kwon went on to win the bronze medal at her second event, the 2022 JGP Poland II, and qualify for the 2022–23 Junior Grand Prix Final. She finished fifth at the Final. Kwon finished fifth in her first appearance at the senior South Korean Championships. As a result, she was assigned to the 2023 World Junior Championships, placing sixth in the short program. She set a new personal best score of 128.24 in the free skate, finishing fifth in that segment and rising to fifth place overall. Commenting on the positive reception of her ''

Cats The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

'' program all season, she added that "I love my program, because I love animals, especially cats. Unfortunately, I don't have my own cat." Following the season, Kwon switched coaches from Choi Hyung-kyung to Chi Hyun-jung. She spent two months of the off-season training in Canada under

Lee Barkell Lee Barkell originally from Kirkland Lake, Ontario is a Canadian figure skating coach, working with both singles and pairs, and a former competitive pair skater. With Melanie Gaylor, he won gold at the 1986 Fujifilm Trophy, 1986 Nebelhorn Tro ...

2023–24 season

In late July, Kwon competed at the 2023 South Korean ISU Junior Grand Prix Qualifiers, winning the silver medal behind

Shin Ji-a Shin Ji-a (; born 19 March 2008) is a South Korean figure skater. She is the 2024 Youth Olympic silver medalist, the 2024 Youth Olympic champion in the team event, a four-time World Junior silver medalist (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025), a two-time ...

. Her performances earned her two assignments on the Junior Grand Prix circuit. At the 2023 JGP Austria, Kwon placed eighth in the short program after failing to execute her jump combination, but a second-place free skate lifted her to the bronze medal. At her second event, the 2023 JGP Poland, she won the silver medal. She then competed at the senior national ranking competition, where she finished fifth overall. Kwon qualified to the

Junior Grand Prix Final The ISU Junior Grand Prix Final (titled the ISU Junior Series Final in the 1997–98 season) is the final event of a series of junior-level competitions – the ISU Junior Grand Prix – organized by the International Skating Union (ISU). Medal ...

for the second consecutive season, where she came sixth. Saying she was happy with her performance, she said her biggest developmental focus was on improving her skating skills, as well as trying to master the triple Axel jump. At the 2024 South Korean Championships, Kwon would place sixth.

2024–2025 season & 2025–2026 season: Competing domestically for Canada

In July 2024, Kwon was noticeably absent from the 2024 South Korean ISU Junior Grand Prix Qualifiers competition and thus did not compete on the Junior Grand Prix circuit. One month later, it was announced that Kwon had been registered to compete in the senior women's category at the 2024 Ontario Sectional Series and that she would be representing the

Granite Club The Granite Club (founded as the Toronto Granite Curling Club) is a private social and athletic club in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1875, it has a long history of sports competition. It is located at 2350 Bayview Avenue, north of mi ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. Regarding this,

Skate Canada Skate Canada (Canadian French: ''Patinage Canada'', lit. "Skating Canada") is the national governing body for figure skating in Canada, recognized by the International Skating Union and the Canadian Olympic Committee. It organizes the annual C ...

put out a statement saying that as of October 2024, Kwon had not issued a request for release from the

Korea Skating Union The Korea Skating Union () is the national governing body for the sports of figure skating, speed skating and short-track speed skating in South Korea, recognised by the International Skating Union and the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee. Histo ...

, making her ineligible to compete 2025 Canadian Championships. She would, however, be allowed to compete in Canadian domestic competitions that were non-qualifying events. Competing at the 2024 Ontario Sectional Series in mid-October, Kwon won the silver medal. The following season, Kwon competed at the 2025 Ontario Sectional Series in late July, where she won the gold medal.

Programs

Competitive highlights

For South Korea

''JGP:

Detailed results

Senior results

Junior results

Current personal best scores are highlighted in bold.

References

External links

*
Minsol Kwon
at SkatingScores.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kwon, Min-sol 2009 births South Korean female single skaters Living people Figure skaters from Seoul 21st-century South Korean sportswomen